WASHINGTON (CNN) - One of the Senate's top Republicans has called on President Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq by Christmas, telling reporters Thursday that a pullout was needed to spur Iraqi leaders to action.

Sen. John Warner, the influential former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he has recommended that Bush announce the beginning of a U.S. withdrawal in mid-September, after a report from the top U.S. officials in Iraq.

If the stalwart military expert Senator Warner says it is time to start the process of coming home, then it is time. Senator Warner has more institutional knowledge about the military and intelligence matters than President Bush will ever have.

Thank God that good judgement and common sense appear to be returning to some of our leaders in Washington.

Does anyone remember during the invasion of Iraq this John Warner called Bush a "genius" for the invasion. Warner would not now be talking out the other side of his mouth but for the coming election. He walks the walk and talks the talk at his convenience not America's. Warner is a practical Republican who takes care of his Party not his Country. Listen to the way he soft pedals his advice to withdraw. Just enough to show a change, to stay in power, but not too much to offend conservatives. Warner is a communicator not a patriot or statesman. If he wasn't in poliitics he would have been a preacher.

I just can't understand why MALARKY's inability to govern is arising as a topic of discussion. It looks to me like the furball can't even give himself a close shave. I also wonder if his paychecks from Iran are hand-delivered or if he has direct deposit. It comes to this as far as I am concerned: Unless America is willing to instruct its military to become viciously brutal, on par with Atilla the Hun, we best fold up out tents and head on to some other politically inspired nonsense somewhere else. As for me, I'm totally in favor of wiping the entire mid-east as well as the Call-Center continent of of India entirely off the face of the earth, men, women, children, camels, and lambkins. I already know that many of the readers of these posts will be offended by my comments...that's why I made them.

Are you kidding me? We're supposed to get excited because this older than dirt Bush step'n fetch it finally starts talking about a move that actually supports our troops? Way to little, way to late! We need to expunge all of these people!

No! You can't compare 225 years to 4 years. However, the first four years of our government we did't have mass suicide bombs, security issues and servere corruption with the local police. I'm here a second time on the groud and it's seems worse than it was in OIF III. Despite what our commander and chief is saying, progress is really, really, really slow. THe surge is working in the isolated areas, but now there is more activty were the surge isn't present! You the taxpayers have to ask yourselves, "Is this investment worth the billions of taxs dollars spent and the loss of lives". As I said before the problems are:
1) What is our mission for it keeps changing every rotation.
2) The Iraqi Police are the most corrupt police force in the world. The local police chief just sold two SUV's to suspected insurgents for his own personal gain. I guess he trying to say thanks to the American tax payers.
3) Unlike our first 4 years, the Iraqi people and the government don't seem to want it as much as we did. They have their own agenda.
Maybe these are things that you don't normally hear, but I know I would be silenced. If you support the war, you might want to ask soldiers who served there rather than the media and the president. I also have to add that it's really unbecoming for our president to speak in the VFW and compare the vietnam war to the iraq war, when he dodged the draft and didn't serve. Very unbecoming.....
We(military personnel) wish this was thought out better!

Rats abandoning the sinking ship. Good to see the captain is still willing to go down with her. So we kicked butt in a third world nation to stop a brutal dictator we helped create, then we removed him and opened a smorgasboard of hatreds. Now we want to take our toys and go home if the Iraq political system we started doesn't work? Does ours?. How many of you citizens were in on this vote to go to war anyways? We're apparently still so naive we don't get that all we did was make a bigger mess. Iraq will not settle easily, there is way too much past baggage there and we have those in Washington in BOTH parties to thank for this mess that is taking precious dollars from families right here that need help and doing more to hurt our security right here that we need.

What a mess George W Bush got us into and all over NOTHING! Iraq and Saddam were no threat to the USA and EVERYBODY knows it - except for those in denial or who still refuse to be honest about it. And "Bush's Mess" has cost us a half a TRiLLION dollars!!! That boils down to about $4,500. per American taxpayer so far. All that manpower and financial resources that could have gone into fighting the war on terror has been essentially squandered on a mess that has made things worse. According to the NIE report. Bin Laden and the 'real' al queada (not to be confused with al queada of mesopotamia in Iraq who make up less that 5 percent of insurgency) are stronger than ever. I tell ya, the Republican Neocons are gonna get us killed.

"Quit acting like this is George W. Bush's fault. Even Clinton bombed Iraq. At least G. W. put his money where his mouth is, unlike the UN which simply passed a couple hundred resolutions that only hurt the very poor in the country."

How is this not Bush's fault? He misled Congress and worse, he misled the American people by trying to connect 9/11 to Iraq. Any you made a great distinction in your comment. You said that even Clinton bombed Iraq. Yes, he only BOMBED him. Bush lied, and sent in FAR too few troops, against the advice of his generals (which he then got rid of). Now he is too stubborn to say he made a mistake. Or he is too stupid to realize it.

SO WHAT'S NEW WITH SENATOR WARNER, DOES HE THINK SAYING IT A 3RD TIME, WILL BE A CHARM?
I DO NOT THINK SO! PLEASE, DO NOT SET UP THIS FALSE HOPE FOR OUR MILITARY AND OUR FAMILIES, THAT ARE ALREADY SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THIS FAILED POLICY AND NATIONAL CRISIS.
WE DESERVE AND EXPECT BETTER FROM ONE OF OUR FELLOW VETERANS.
JUST LET THE VOTES, VOTES, VOTES, DO THE TALKING AND WALKING!!
THANK YOU.
IRA D. JINKINS, SR.
VETERAN/ARMY INFANTRY
15.5YEARS

A Leader?BUSH WAFFLE HOUSE
“I say what I mean and mean what I say”
“ Promises made-Promises kept”
“When I make up my mind it stays made up”
“I do not take cues from anyone”
“You can’t say one thing and do another”
“Trust me I’m a straight shooter”
“I’m the commander, I don’t need to explain, I do not need to explain why I do things”
“I need a WAR to be a successful president”
”I’m the War President”
“I’m the Peace President”
“A Leader never admits mistakes”
“I’m the Decider and I decide what is best”. God Bless the King!
“Lucky Me, I hit the Trifecta”
“God told me to attack the terrorists in Iraq to keep them from attacking us”.
Exact words of Hitler except he said Poland not Iraq.
“I’m a Recovering Drunk” said Bush. Judy Keen USA Today12-29-05
‘There is no point in discussing the pros and cons of the war”

“You know what I’m gonna tell those Jews when I get to Israel don’t you Herman?
I’m telling em they are all going to Hell”. Ken Herman Austin reporter.

It's about time that Warner came to his senses. At the same time Warner is calling to begin troop withdrawal, the spineless Hillary Clinton and Carl Levin are going on record as saying the surge is working.This would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.

John Warner is up for re-election. That alone tells you that he has ulterior motives. He's scared about the shifting allegiences in Va. He knows if he becomes the media liberal darling, he'll draw notes. This is such a politically-motivated statement , it isn't funny.

I would think the rednecks of America would love to have the terrorist over here to fight.They will be able to use all them guns without going committing a crime. I guess the NRA is afraid of terrorist?Yeah we don't want those same terrorist that came here after we left Vietnam

Should we pull out of Iraq, without question, a greater hell would breakout, but we wont achieve a thing by staying. It's unfortunate that the Media can't bring itself to admit that we started the war there, and if we leave, we are leaving a very horrible situation which exists, because of us.

The wars in the Middle East are religious wars and are not intended to give Democracy a chance to flourish. If our President really is an advocate of Democracy, it doesn't make sense for him to hold the Saudi King's hand, where laws exist that forbid women to drive.